The present invention relates to earthworking equipment and, more particularly, to a tooth and adapter assembly coupled to a cutting edge of the equipment and having apparatus for absorbing a shear load applied to the tooth of the assembly.
Earthworking implements such as loader buckets usually have a support plate connected to the forward end of a bucket base, and a cutting edge bolted to the plate and extending forwardly of the plate. Tooth adapters are bolted to the support plate and extend forwardly of the cutting edge, there being earthworking teeth attached to the adapters.
In some prior loader buckets, the adapters would transmit the shear forces or loads applied to the teeth to the bolts connecting the adapters to the support plate. This would normally subject the bolts to such large strains as would cause them to shear off or the bolts to loosen in a short period of time and thereby uncouple the adapters. Consequently, adapters have been developed which fit snugly about the cutting edge whereby such shear forces are dissipated at least partially into the cutting edge. Because of this abutting relationship, the strain on the connecting bolts has been reduced whereby the likelihood of the bolts shearing has also been reduced.
Cutting edges normally have been made relatively blunt to dissipate the shear forces transmitted by abutting adapters. However, these blunt edges do not cut through the earth as efficiently as would a sharper edge. While cutting edges which are relatively sharp could be made, these would not be satisfactory for dissipating the shear forces applied to the earthworking teeth. These sharper edges simply would not be strong enough to withstand the forces and therefore would require constant repair or replacement. Moreover, the sharper edges would not dissipate as much shear load as the more blunt edges, thereby undesirably providing additional shear load on the connecting bolts and increasing the likelihood that the bolts would shear off or loosen.